Bending tool for mounted fittings



Feb. 11, 1969 w. J. ORLEY 3,426,575

BENDING TOOL FOR MOUNTED FITTINGS Filed NOV. 25, 1966 ,4 46 NW [NV TOR. WlLLlAM J. B RLEY ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,426,575 BENDIN G TOOL FOR MOUNTED FITTINGS William J. Orley, Detroit, Mich., assignor to Hydralink Corporation, Warren, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Filed Nov. 25, 1966, Ser. No. 596,837 US. Cl. 72458 11 Claims Int. Cl. B2lj 13/08, 13/02; B21c 3/16 This invention relates to a bending tool and more particularly to a tool which enables bending to a desired configuration tubular fittings while they are mounted at fluid ports of a mechanism to which fluid is directed and/or exhausted.

Many fluid operated and cooled devices are connected with the fluid under pressure or vacuum by means of flexible hoses. Such hoses are commonly connected to the port structure of the mechanism by means of tubular fittings over which the end of the hose is assembled and held in place bya clamp or a self-locking feature of the fitting. It often happens that such tubular fittings, which are usually straight, have to be bent to a particular angle because of necessary clearances or a desired or required orientation of the flexible hose. Sometimes it is either desirable or necessary that such fittings be bent after they are threaded into the fluid port structure on the mechanism. The bending of such tubular fittings has always been a troublesome problem because of the lack of a suitably designed portable bending tool, particularly a bend ing tool adapted to engage and bend such fittings after they are mounted.

The present invention has for its object the provision of an improved bending tool of the above-described type which is of simple construction and easy to operate.

A further object of the invention is to provide a tool adapted for bending tubular fittings to a short radius bend without collapsing the tube.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a bending tool for one form of tubular fitting according to the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view, partly in section, showing the manner in which the tool of the present invention is adapted to be engaged with a mounted tubular fitting preparatory to bending the fitting.

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view illustrating the manner in which a mounted tubular fitting is adapted to be bent with the tool of the present invention.

FIGURE 4 is a view of the guide pin forming a part of the bending tool of the present invention.

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary sectional view on an enlarged scale showing the manner in which the tube is bent with the tool of the present invention.

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary sectional view generally along the line 6-6 in FIG. 5.

Referring to the drawings, the tool of the present invention comprises a handle 10 which may be formed of a piece of bar stock of rectangular cross section having a slot 12 at one end thereof which is defined by a pair of side walls or flanges 14 and a bottom wall 16 which, when the tool is to be used with round tubing, is semi-cylindrical in cross section. If the tool is to be used on square tubing, bottom wall 16 would be correspondingly shaped. Bottom wall 16 is generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of handle 10. The transverse spacing between side walls 14 corresponds to the outer diameter of the straight portion 18 of the tubular fitting 20 which is adapted to be bent and the radius of curvature of bottom wall 16 corresponds to the radius of the straight portion 18 of the fitting. As illustrated in FIG. 2, fitting 20 has an end 22 adapted to be threaded into a port 24 of a fluid mechanism 26. Adjacent the threaded portion 22, fitting 20 is fashioned with a hexagonally shaped portion 28 by means 3,426,575 Patented Feb. 11, 1969 of which the fitting may be tightened into port 24 by using a wrench. Fitting 20 is provided with a collar 30 spaced axially from portion 28 and a pair of axially spaced enlargements 32. Collar 30 forms an abutment for the end of a hose, not illustrated, adapted to he slipped over the end of the fitting; and enlargements 32 are provided for retaining the hose on the fitting. The straight portion 18 between portion 28 and collar 30 comprises a uniform diameter tube. v

Side walls 14 have straight side edges 34, 36. The free end edges of side walls 14 are curved at one side as at 38 and the opposite side is formed as a. straight inclined portion 40. At one side thereof handle 10 has a step providing a shoulder 44. When the tool is arranged on the fitting as shown in FIG. 2 with the bottom wall 16 of slot 12 engaging the straight portion 18 of the fitting, shoulder 44 abuts against collar 30.

The two side walls 14 are provided with axially aligned openings 46 which are adapted to receive the shank portion 48 of a guide pin 50. Guide pin 50 is formed with an enlarged knob 52 at one end thereof. Shank 48 is formed with an annular groove 54 of curved cross section to correspond with the outer diameter of the straight portion 18 of the fitting. One end portion of shank 48 is cut away as at 56. The cut-away portion comprises slightly less than half of the circumferential extent of shank 48. The purpose of cutting away the shank of guide pin 50 is to enable the shank 48 of the pin to be inserted into the aligned openings 46 in flanges 14 when the tool is arranged on the straight portion of the fitting as shown in FIG. 2. More specifically, it will be observed that, when knob 52 is rotated such that the flat portion 56 of the pin 50 faces the bottom wall 16 of slot 12, it clears the straight portion 18 of the fitting. Knob 52 has a flattened area 58 radially aligned with the flat portion 56 on shank 48 so that the disposition of flat portion 56 can be usually determined by noting the position of flattened area 58 on knob 52.

After the pin 50 is inserted into the openings 46 in flanges 14, it may be rotated 180 to the position shown in FIG. 3 so that the arcuate groove 54 engages the outer peripheral surface of the straight portion 18 of the fitting. Groove 54 cooperates with the curved bottom wall 16 to define a generally circular opening between pin 50 and bottom wall 16 which has a diameter corresponding generally to the outer diameter of the straight tubular portion 18 of the fitting.

In order to bend the straight portion 18 of the fitting to a desired angle, the tool is engaged with the fitting as described and is shifted so that the straight edges 36 of flanges 14 abut against collar 30 on the fitting. Thereafter handle 10 is swung upwardly to the broken line position shown in FIG. 3 in order to form a right angle bend in the fitting. Less upward swing will produce bends of any angle up to Since the side walls 14 laterally confine the tubular fitting at the straight portion -18 thereof, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, there is no tendency for the tube to flatten out as it is bent around the grooved portion 54 of shank 48 on guide pin 50. The tube is formed with a smooth arcuate bend 60' by reason of the fact that it is laterally constrained by side walls 14 and guided around the periphery of groove 54. The portion of the tube being progressively bent is substantially completely embraced circumferentially by side walls 14 and groove 54 on guide pin 50. This is clearly illustrated in FIG. 6. The tube is also constrained axially by engagement of collar 30 with the straight edges 36 of flanges 14 at shoulder 44.

The inclined edges 40 at the free ends of side walls 14 provide the necessary clearance relative to the hexagonally-shaped portion 28 of the fitting to enable bending the 3 fitting to 90. After the fitting is bent to the desired position, guide pin 50 is rotated so that the flat side 56 thereof faces the tube and permits withdrawal of the guide pin from within the openings 46 in flanges 14 and thereby enables removal of the tool from the fitting.

It will be appreciated that although the fitting illustrated includes a permanently fixed collar 30, it is not essential that the fitting have a permanently fixed collar at such location. For example, the fitting may be substantially longer than illustrated in the drawing and a bend can still be formed close to end 22 with the tool of the invention by temporarily clamping a collar or other abutment on tube 18 at the location shown for collar 30.

I claim:

1. A tool for bending a mounted tubular hose fitting of the type having radial enlargements spaced axially apart and an intermediate straight tubular portion at which the bend is adapted to be formed comprising a handle having a pair of flanges at one end thereof spaced laterally apart a distance corresponding to the transverse dimension of the tubular portion of the fitting to be bent, said flanges being interconnected by a base portion and defining therebetween a straight channel open at its opposite ends and along one side so that the tool can be engaged with the fitting by guiding the straight tubular portion thereof between-said flanges from the open side of the channel, a pin extending transversely between said flanges at a location intermediate the opposite ends of the flanges and spaced from said base portion a distance corresponding generally to the transverse dimension of said straight tubular portion of the fitting, the base portion of the channel being shaped in cross section to conform to the outer peripheral surface contour of said straight portion of the fitting and said pin having an arcuate circumferentially extending groove which is similarly shaped in cross section so that the periphery of the straight tubular portion of the fitting is adapted to be substantially completely encircled at the portion thereof to be bent when engaged with the tool as described.

2. A tool as called for in claim 1 wherein said opposite ends of said flanges extend substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said channel in a direction away from said base portion for a distance corresponding at least to the transverse dimension of the portion of the fitting to be bent.

3. A tool as called for in claim 2 wherein the free edge of each flange along side open saide of the channel inclines from generally the mid-portion thereof in a direction toward said base portion and one end of the channel.

4. A tool as called for in claim 1 wherein said flanges are formed with a pair of axially aligned openings therein for receiving said pin, said pin having a flat axially extending portion which enables the pin to be inserted into said holes and across said channel to clear the portion of the fitting extending through the channel when the pin is oriented with said flat side facing the base of the channel.

5. A tool as called for in claim 1 wherein said circumferential groove is a circular cross section to accommodate a fitting having a tubular section of round cross section.

6. A tool as called for in claim 5 wherein each flange has an opening therein aligned axially with the opening in the other flange to receive said pin, said openings having a diameter substantially greater than the diameter of the straight portion of the fitting to be bent, said pin having a shank dimensioned to be received by said openings with a close fit, said circumferential groove being located generally centrally between the ends of said shank, said shank being flat at one side thereof, the fiat portion of the shank extending axially of the pin from one end of the shank to at least across said groove.

7. A tool as called for in claim 6 wherein the flat side of the shank reduces the cross dimension of the shank in one direction by an amount at least as great as the depth of said groove.

8. A tool as called for in claim 5 wherein each flange is provided with an opening therein axially aligned with the opening in the other flange for receiving said pin, said openings each having a diameter greater than the diameter of the portion of the tubular fitting adapted to be engaged between the flanges, said pin having a knob at one end and a shank extending axially from said knob, said shank having opposite end portions rotatably supported in said openings in said flanges and a central portion provided with said groove, said central portion and the end portion of the shank remote from said knob being flat at one side thereof so as to reduce the cross dimension of said shank in a direction perpendicular to the fiat side thereof by an amount equal to at least the depth of said groove, the other end of said shank adjacent said knob defining a generally circumferentially continuous circle in cross section.

9. A tool as called for in claim '1 wherein said flanges have a dimension lengthwise of said channel substantially less than the length of said straight portion of the fitting between said radial enlargements.

10. A tool as called for in claim 1 including means on said handle oflset radially from said base portion and adjacent one end of the channel for engaging one of the enlargements on the straight portion of the fitting when the fitting is seated in the base portion of the channel.

11. A tool as called for in claim 9 wherein the edges of said flanges adjacent one end of the channel are relieved in a direction away from said base portion to provide clearance with respect to the other enlargements on the fitting when the handle is swung generally about said pin as an axis to bend the fitting.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,675,723 4/1954 Stein 72-458 2,678,573 5/11954 Taylor 72-458 2,709,382 5/1955 Safranski 72-459 3,069,944 12/1962 Baumgartner 72457 3,136,186 6/1964 Grazier 72-457 3,248,921 5/1966 Trout 72-458 X 3,301,036 1/1967 Davis 72-457 CHARLES W. LANHAM, Primary Examiner.

E. SUTTON, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A TOOL FOR BENDING A MOUNTED TUBULAR HOSE FITTING OF THE TYPE HAVING RADIAL ENLARGEMENTS SPACED AXIALLY APART AND AN INTERMEDIATE STRAIGHT TUBULAR PORTION AT WHICH THE BEND IS ADAPTED TO BE FORMED COMPRISING A HANDLE HAVING A PAIR OF FLANGES AT ONE END THEREOF SPACED LATERALLY APART A DISTANCE CORRESPONDING TO THE TRANSVERSE DIMENSION OF THE TUBULAR PORTION OF THE FITTING TO THE BENT, SAID FLANGES BEING INTERCONNECTED BY A BASE PROTION AND DEFINING THEREBETWEEN A STRAIGHT CHANNEL OPEN AT ITS OPPOSITE ENDS AND ALONG ONE SIDE SO THAT THE TOOL CAN BE ENGAGED WITH THE FITTING BY GUIDEING THE STRAIGHT TUBULAR PORTION THEREOF BETWEEN SAID FLANGES FROM THE OPEN SIDE OF THE CHANNEL, A PIN EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY BETWEEN SAID FLANGES AT A LOCATION INTERMEDIATE THE OPPOSITE ENDS OF THE FLANGES AND SPACED FROM SAID BASE PORTION A DISTANCE CORRESPONDING GENERALLY TO THE TRANSVERSE DIMENSION OF SAID STRAIGHT TUBULAR PORTION OT THE FITTING, THE BASE PORTION OF THE CHANNEL BEING SHAPED IN CROSS SECTION TO CONFORM TO THE OUTER PERIPHERAL SURFACE CONTOUR OF SAID STRAIGHT PORTION OF THE FITTING AND SAID PIN HAVING AN ARCUATE CIRCUMFERENTIALLY EXTENDING GROOVE WHICH IS SIMILARLY SHAPED IN CROSS SECTION SO THAT THE PERIPHERY OF THE STRAIGHT TUBULAR PORTION OF THE FITTING IS ADAPTED TO BE SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETELY ENCIRCLED AT THE PORTION THEREOF TO BE BENT WHEN ENGAGED WITH THE TOOL AS DESCRIBED. 